CLEVELAND, OHIO...Eaton Corporation today announced a realignment of its operating units and the election by the Board of Directors of four senior vice presidents. The company also named a new vice president, to be headquartered in Hong Kong, who will be responsible for diversifying and strengthening its business in the Asia/Pacific region.

Under the new organization, which will go into effect September 1, 1995, the company's seven operating groups will be reduced to five. The four new senior vice presidents and their areas of responsibility are as follows:

Robert J. McCloskey, 56, formerly vice president-Hydraulics & General Products Operations, has been elected senior vice president-Controls and Hydraulics. He will have operating responsibility for Eaton's Automotive and Appliance Controls, Hydraulics, Engineered Fasteners, Golf Grip, Airflex and IVHS/VORAD businesses. McCloskey will continue to be headquartered in Cleveland.

Larry M. Oman, 54, formerly vice president-Engine Components Operations/Worldwide, has been elected senior vice president-Automotive Components with operating responsibility for the company's Engine Components, Fluid Power, Supercharger, Suspension and Torque Controls businesses. Oman will be headquartered in Detroit to be closer to Eaton's major automotive customers. In addition, Thomas W.Chisholm, vice president-Automotive Marketing, also located in Detroit, will report to Oman.

Joseph L. Becherer, 53, formerly vice president-Operations/Cutler-Hammer, has been elected senior vice president-Cutler-Hammer, and will add the group's staff functions to his responsibilities. He will remain in Pittsburgh.<

Thomas W. O'Boyle, 52, formerly vice president-Truck Components Operations/Worldwide, has been elected senior vice president-Truck Components. O'Boyle, whose responsibilities will remain unchanged, will relocate to Cleveland from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Laurence M. Iwan, 48, formerly general manager-Engineered Fasteners, has been named vice president-Asia/Pacific, and will be relocating to Hong Kong. Iwan will be responsible for developing and growing Eaton's businesses in China, Korea, India and other southeast Asian countries outside Japan, as well as in Australia. John S. Rodewig, Eaton president and chief operating officer-Vehicle Components, announced in March that he would retire at the end of the year. All of the new officers will report to Alexander M. Cutler, who will become Eaton's president and chief operating officer on September 1,1995, as previously announced. Cutler is currently executive vice president and chief operating officer-Controls. Three other business units, Semiconductor Equipment, Commercial and Military Controls and AIL Systems, will be realigned as the Semiconductor and Specialty Systems business and will continue to report to Cutler until further notice. Jerald J. Theder, operations vice president in charge of integrating the acquisition of the Westinghouse Distribution and Control Business Unit (DCBU) into Eaton's Cutler-Hammer operations, also will continue to report to Cutler. McCloskey joined Eaton as a patent attorney in 1965. He was named general patent counsel in 1978, a position he held until 1981, when he was appointed general superintendent of the Transmission Division's Kalamazoo, Michigan, plant. He subsequently was named manager for the Axle and Brake Division's Cleveland plant and manager for the Electric Drives Division plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before being named manager of the Airflex Division in 1984. He was appointed vice president-Hydraulics and General Products in 1991. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Notre Dame and a juris doctorate from American University.

Oman was named vice president-Engine Components Operations/Worldwide in 1989. He joined Eaton in 1968 as a buyer for the Air Controls Division. In 1977, he was named director-Materials and Production Control at World Headquarters. In 1982, he was named operations manager for the Fluid Power Division. He became marketing manager for Engine Components Operations in 1986. Oman has a master of science degree from Bowling Green State University.

Becherer joined Eaton in 1994 when the company acquired Westinghouse's distribution and control business. At the time of the acquisition, Becherer was named vice president-Operations/Cutler-Hammer. He began his career with Westinghouse in 1964, holding a number posts until being named manager-National Construction Sales in 1984. In 1986, he became general manager of the Commercial Operations Division of the DCBU. In 1988 he was named general manager of that unit and vice president in 1989. Becherer has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

O'Boyle was named vice president-Truck Components Operations-Worldwide in 1991. He joined Eaton as a lab technician in 1966 and held several engineering posts before entering sales in 1975. In 1986, he was named marketing manager-North America for Truck Components Marketing. He was appointed general manager of the Transmission Division in 1989. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Cleveland State University.

Iwan joined Eaton at its Telecomputer Center in 1966 and served in a variety of assignments there. He managed a systems development group at World Headquarters from 1978 to 1983. He then became information systems manager and marketing manager for the Hydraulics Division. In 1988, he was named operations manager of the Hydraulics Division and became general manager-Engineered Fasteners in 1993. He has both a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Eaton Corporation is a global manufacturer of highly engineered products which serve vehicle, industrial, construction, commercial, aerospace and marine markets. Principal products include truck transmissions and axles, engine components, hydraulic products, electrical power distribution and control equipment, ion implanters and a wide variety of controls. Headquartered at Eaton Center in Cleveland, the company has 52,000 employees and 150 manufacturing sites in 22 countries around the world. Sales for 1994 were $6.1 billion.